from Ethan Sears of the Wings website,

The end of last season left a bad taste in Troy Stecher's mouth. After returning from injury, he felt he didn't play up to his level.

So when the opportunity came to go to the IIHF World Championship with Team Canada, he took it, hoping to play good minutes and erase any lingering doubt. And, after a gold medal run in which a highlight-reel assist from Stecher propelled the Canadians past Russia in the quarterfinals, he's back with the Red Wings feeling good about himself.

"I played a ton there in an important role for the team," Stecher said. "I think more than anything, it gave me a lot of confidence and reassurance in myself as a player that I can play at this level and I can be a factor."

Upon returning home to Vancouver from Latvia, Stecher achieved a new kind of celebrity status.

"I kind of went viral," he said. "So a lot of people knew who I was, they were saying congratulations, they were very impressed. So it was pretty cool. It got old pretty quick."

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